The most recent Latin American leader to be linked to the Odebrecht corruption scandal is Alejandro Toledo.
Alejandro Toledo, the former president of Peru, has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. He is the most recent Latin American leader to be imprisoned in relation to the corruption scandal involving the Odebrecht construction company.Toledo was given a sentence of 20 years and six months in prison on Monday after being found guilty of accepting $35 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction company in return for a contract to build a motorway.
Peruvian former President Alejandro Toledo in court where he was sentenced to more than 20 years behind bars for accepting bribes in Lima, Peru, on Monday, October 21, 2024 [Guadalupe Pardo/AP Photo]
“I want to go to a private clinic. Toledo, who was battling health problems related to cancer, said during a hearing last week, “I beg you to please let me get better or die at home.”
In relation to Odebrecht’s campaign of bribery in exchange for political favours throughout the continent, the 78-year-old former leader of the Andean nation, who held office from 2001 to 2006, was given one of the harshest sentences ever.Toledo repeatedly refuted prosecutors’ accusations of collusion and money laundering throughout the course of a year-long trial. After Peru asked for his extradition, he was first detained in the United States in 2019. Following years of legal controversy surrounding his possible extradition, he was returned to Peru in 2022.
Odebrecht-related scandals have led to the jailing of officials in Peru, Panama, and Ecuador. The construction behemoth has also conducted corruption investigations in nations like Guatemala and Mexico. The company has since changed its name to Novonor.14 prominent solicitors were imprisoned in Peru in 2019 while they were being investigated for allegedly giving the firm preferential treatment in contracts for public works projects.
Toledo will be housed in a prison built specifically to house former presidents on the outskirts of Lima, the capital of Peru, for the duration of his sentence.He might soon have more company.Ollanta Humala and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, two other former presidents, are being investigated in connection with Odebrecht.
Pedro Castillo, the former president, is also being held on “rebellion” charges following his unsuccessful attempt to dissolve Congress in 2022.